(Friday, July 4, 2008) - Sam Houston Race Park hosted an All-American Independence Day Celebration featuring the $20,000 Silestone Stakes, a 350-yard race for Texas-bred fillies and mares three years of age and up, on Friday, July 4, 2008.

Jockey Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo rode winning filly Panther Purr ($6.00) to victory in the Silestone Stakes. She broke out of the gate strong and finished in a final time of :17.99. Vallejo is the only jockey in the history of Sam Houston Race Park to win the Grade 1 Sam Houston Futurity three times, and he added another stakes win tonight to his impressive career.

“She’s a good filly and runs hard in all of her races. I was very lucky in this race. She did very well and I really didn’t have to do much, but let her run,” Vallejo remarked.

Panther Purr’s last outing at The Park was the Grade 3 Dixie Stallion Futurity Stakes on August 25, 2007, where she finished second behind Patrionic with a time of :17.548.

Panther Purr was followed past the wire by Toole N Round in second, with Bridled Lightnin finishing third. The field included a total of nine horses.

The holiday weekend entertainment continues on Saturday, July 5, with Willie Nelson’s Family Picnic at The Showgrounds. The day-long festival, in its 36th year, includes performances from top country music acts such as Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Asleep At The Wheel, David Allen Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Billy Joe Shaver and Los Lonely Boys along with country music icon Willie Nelson. Gates will open at 12 p.m. and the show will begin at 1 p.m. The Winner’s Circle Restaurant will open at 4 p.m. and offer an array of all-you-can-eat Texas-themed items including carving stations, a variety of side dishes, fresh salads as well as a chocolate fountain and the build-your-own ice cream bar. Dinner is available for $17.95 per person plus tax and gratuity.

The holiday weekend will close out with the Vans Warped Tour taking place in the West Lot of The Park on Sunday, July 6. Vans Warped Tour is one of the most popular all-ages touring music and extreme sports festivals in America. The tour will showcase multiple stages and music from Angels & Airwaves, Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is…, Story of the Year, Bedouin Soundclash, Reliant K, Every Time I Die, From First to Last, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Against Me and more!

Ticket packages are available for all live racing and concert events online at www.shrp.com. Additional concert tickets are available at www.theshowgrounds.com or www.livenation.com or by phone at 800-211-3381, at participating Houston-area Randalls stores and at The Showgrounds box office located at the South Gate near the Valet Circle. Racing and concert events are open to patrons of all ages. All dates, acts, and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Rain or Shine.